BIRDS OF TENASSERIM. 269 



probably been comparing a Javan male with an Indian female, 

 he assures us that "the information has no bearing on the 

 point \" If so, why did he dwell on the size ? Why did he not 

 confine himself to matters that did bear on the point? The 

 Javan bird may be different, since Godwin- Austen also thinks so, 

 but a careful comparison of a really large series from both 

 localities is still wanted. 



396 Us,— Cyanoderma erythroptera, Blyth. (17). 



Descr. S. R, III., 322 n. 



Tenasserim Town ; Bankasoon ; Malewoon. 



Common in the extreme south of the province. 



[This bird is very abundant in the forests in the extreme 

 south of Tenasserim and in the Malayan Peninsula. It is 

 always found in small parties in the evergreen forest, frequent- 

 ing the brushwood and tops of the moderately sized trees, cane- 

 brakes or any other dense cover. It lives on insects of vari- 

 ous sorts, which it obtains about the foliage, hunting this over 

 persistently and systematically like a Tit ; it does not, that I 

 am aware, ever descend to the ground. It has a very peculiar 

 note, a sharp metallic rolling sound, which it utters chiefly when 

 alarmed, but also at other times. I found it very common 

 further south in the Malay Peninsula, where I preserved a large 

 series of specimens. — W. D.] 



I have already, S. F., III., 322 n., given Blyth's original 

 description of this species ; but, as we measured a large series 

 of both sexes, it may be useful to give a resume of the results : — 



Males. — Length, 5 to 5'6 ; expanse, 7*25 to 7*75 ; tail, 1*9 

 to 2-12; wing, 2-25 to 2'37 ; tarsus, 0*75 to 82; bill from 

 gape, 0-65 to 075 ; weight, 0'47 to 053 oz. 



The bill is dark plumbeous blue ; the upper mandible darkest, 

 in some brownish ; visible skin of cheeks and orbits from pure 

 light to dull dirty smalt blue ; irides madder red to deep 

 brown ; legs, feet and claws very pale, almost white, tinged 

 greenish, or yellowish green. 



Females. — Length, 5 to 57 ; expanse, 7 to 7*12; tail, 1'8 to 

 1-9; wing, 2-25 to 2-37 ; tarsus, 0-75 to 0"8 ; bill from gape, 

 0-62 to 0-67 ; weight, 0-5 to 0'55 oz. 



Colors of soft parts as in the male. 



The plumage of the two sexes is absolutely identical. I have 

 already, loc. cit. sup., expressed my belief that Count Salvadori 

 was in error in stating that bicolor, of Blyth, was the male of the 

 present species. I can now state this positively, Davison hav- 

 ing sexed fourteen males and twelve females of this species by 

 dissection, and having found the plumage of the two sexes invari- 

 ably identical, without moreover ever yet having come across a 



